About the RFA Academy Series:
The Resource Family Approval (RFA) Academy is a four-day training for county staff who will be implementing or using the RFA process. The training provides an overview of RFA and Continuum of Care Reform (CCR). The training will also focus on providing a unified, family-friendly, child-centered RFA process to replace the previously multiple processes for licensing foster family homes and approving relatives and non-relative extended family members as foster care providers, and approving families for legal guardianship or adoption. The following key content areas will be addressed:
Series Topics:
- Overview of RFA and CCR
- Application Requirements
- Assessing the Resource Family
- Comprehensive Assessment Components
- Child Trauma
- Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standards
- Quality Parenting Initiative
- Pre-Approval Process / Emergency Placement
- The Written Assessment
- Approving the Resource Family
- Relative/NREFM Families Out of County/Jurisdiction
- Post Approval
- Post Approval Training
- Child’s Personal Rights
- Complaint Process
- Administrative Actions
- Statement of Facts
- Practicing Cultural Humility
- Teaming & Collaboration
Series Schedule
Day 1: April 28, 2026. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Day 2: April 29, 2026. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Day 3: May 5, 2026. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Day 4: May 6, 2026. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Instructors
Betsy Watson
- Betsy Watson has worked in the field of child welfare since 2001. She began her career as a social worker and then transitioned to Emergency Response social work at the County of Ventura, where she currently serves as an after-hours supervisor. She also serves as a backup facilitator for the county’s CFTM program. Watson has worked as a child welfare trainer since 2019 with subject matter expertise in CFTM, structured decision making, trauma-informed practice, Common Core, fairness and equity, cultural humility in child welfare interviews, critical thinking and assessment, and other training topics.
Darci Stahly
- Darci Stahly has over 27 years of child welfare experience in the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, having held multiple positions such as Children Services administrator and certified countywide coach. As a coach, she provided support to specialized units in Los Angeles County in relation to culture and ethnicity. Her expertise includes professional development planning, curriculum development and coordinating implementation strategies for state and county mandates. Stahly also worked as a supervisor for the Concept 7 Foster Family Agency, co-authored the Los Angeles County Shared Core Practice Model and presented at various master’s of social work programs. Her previous teaching experience includes serving as a certified domestic violence and parenting instructor and field instructor for different universities.
Course Code
511492